Sweet Poison
by LittleMissFanGirl14
Summary: Anthony and Ian's daughter is being abused her her boyfriend. And they're the only two that can save her from her boyfriend's toxic grip. Submitted for WalkingonFirex's contest. Audrey belongs to her. Contains dark themes. Warning are inside. One-shot.


**WARNING: This story contains an abusive relationship, depression, and suicide, with mentions of child abuse, neglect, adultery, underage drinking, and drug usage. If any of this offends you, turn back now.**

* * *

Audrina "Audrey" Hecox-Padilla wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead as she walked home. It was a hot, ninety-five degree day, and Audrey was wrapped up in a dark purple hoodie, dark blue jeans, and black Converse. She was sweating buckets, and her clothes stuck to her skin, but she didn't care. She didn't want anyone to know her secret.

Not even her dads.

Audrey turned the knob on her front door, and it swung open. Audrey was blasted with a rush of cold air. Her dad must have the air conditioning on really low again.

Audrey stepped into the house. She dropped her green camo backpack onto the ground by the door. Her dads were sitting on the couch, watching a movie and laughing.

"Hey Audrey!" One of her dads, Anthony greeted her. "How was school?"

"Good." Audrey told them.

"Was Bruce at school today?" Ian, her other dad asked, referring to her boyfriend. Her dads didn't really like her being alone with him. Audrey thought they were really overprotective, but have good intentions.

"Yeah he was." Audrey replied, trying not to wince at the mention of his name. "We hung out at lunch and during study hall."

"Nothing happened, right?" Anthony questioned her.

Audrey shook her head. "Nope. Just hung out and talked about prom that's coming next week."

"Have you bought a dress yet?" Ian asked.

"Yeah. I bought one last Saturday when I went to the mall... Bruce wanted me to call him when I got home today because he wants to take me out tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Nothing inappropriate right?" Anthony asked sharply. He didn't want anyone messing with his daughter.

Audrey laughed nervously. "No daddy." She told him. "He's probably just gonna take me to see a movie or something."

"Okay then."

Audrey smiled at her dads and turned to go to her room.

"Tell Bruce no funny business!" Ian called to her.

Audrey winced as him name came up again. Bruce was seventeen, only a year older than her, but was a lot less mature, and he got angry at even the smallest things.

And violent.

Audrey entered her room, and closed the door behind her. She removed her hoodie. She glanced down at her arms. They were thin and covered in purple bruises. When Bruce got mad, it often involved something Audrey did. Bruce had a tendency to grab her or smack her when he was mad.

Audrey sighed, and collapsed onto her bed. Bruce... he loved her. He told her so. But sometimes she questioned what his definition of love was. He kissed her and hugged her, but he threatened her and hit her and told her that he was doing this out of love for her.

Audrey sighed and squeezed her eyes shut as a few tears spilled down her cheeks. She couldn't stop him, and she couldn't get him any kind of help, because people like this never get better.

When they first started dating two years ago, he seemed like the sweetest and most caring boy she'd ever met, but within a year, he began to make bad decisions. His father cheated on his mom, then left him, his mother, and his sister, and his mother became neglectful and verbally abusive. Bruce started to drink regularly, he dabbled in drugs, and stole things sometimes.

Audrey didn't really care though. She saw past everything he did. She wanted to believe she could change him, and that he's really a good person inside.

She remembered three months ago, when she tried to break up with him the first time.

* * *

 _"Bruce, I told you, I don't think this is going to work." Audrey told him._

 _"What are you trying to tell me?" Bruce asked sharply._

 _"I think we should break up."_

 _"Break up? BREAK UP?!" Bruce grabbed Audrey's arm, and tossed her to the ground. "No, you will not break up with me! Not now, not ever!" He yanked her to her feet, and struck her across the face._

 _"Let me go!" Audrey struggled to get away from him. "This is why I can't be with you anymore!"_

 _"Why? Am I not good enough for you?"_

 _"No! Because you hit me and make me feel terrible about myself."_

 _"Too bad. It's called tough love, Audrina. Get over it."_

 _Audrey winced. Bruce only called her by her full name when he was angry with her._

 _"Don't make that face at me." Bruce growled, grabbing Audrey's wrist and squeezing. "What have I told you about listening?"_

 _"T-That I should listen and not speak." Audrey stuttered. She felt like she could cry at any second._

 _"Right." Bruce let go of her now sore wrist, and shoved her down again. Audrey cried out as her elbow smashed against the ground._

 _"See ya, Audrina." Bruce snapped, making his way towards her front door. Audrey waited until she heard him leave before curling into a ball onto the floor. Her dads wouldn't be home for another two hours._

 _Audrey buried her face into her hands and cried._

* * *

The day after that, Bruce called Audrey crying and begging her to forgive him, crying that he was sorry and he would never do it again. But he did. Time and time again. He had told her he would hurt himself if she "hurt" him like that again.

Audrey picked up her guitar. She had a talent for music, and have written a few songs- including one about her relationship with Bruce.

Audrey tuned her guitar quickly, and strummed a few cords. She hummed a little, and began to play a sad tune before beginning her song.

 _Your hand in mine,_

 _It used to feel so right_

 _Our love was undefined_

 _But now it's tainted,_

 _Unanticipated_

 _Broken by your tortured mind_

 _How could I live?_

 _How could I breathe?_

 _Knowing that you can never change?_

 _How could I survive?_

 _How could I escape?_

 _Knowing that you'll never leave?_

 _Your mind is broken_

 _Your heart is lost_

 _Your love hurts_

 _You intoxicate me,_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You bring me pain_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You make it harder to breathe_

 _You used to make me feel blessed,_

 _Like I was your prized possession_

 _Now I'm bound by your emotional repression_

 _And now your cold, distant and blind,_

 _You're trapped in a void that's captured your mind_

 _How could I live?_

 _How could I breathe?_

 _Knowing that you're dragging me with you?_

 _How could I survive?_

 _How could I leave?_

 _Seeing your vulnerable side?_

 _Your mind is broken_

 _Your heart is lost_

 _Your love hurts_

 _You intoxicate me,_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You bring me pain_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You make it harder to breathe_

 _How could I hide?_

 _When I'm trapped inside?_

 _Inside your empty broken reality_

 _Now I can see,_

 _I'll never truly be free_

 _The bruises I get,_

 _I've gotten caught in your net,_

 _And now you've infected me_

 _Your mind is broken_

 _Your heart is lost_

 _Your love hurts_

 _You intoxicate me,_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You bring me pain_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _Your mind is broken_

 _Your heart is lost_

 _Your love hurts_

 _You intoxicate me,_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _You bring me pain_

 _With your sweet poison_

 _And if I leave tonight,_

 _I'm not sure I'll be alright_

 _Knowing I left you behind_

 _Behind to let your demons take flight_

 _So I'll taste your poison tonight_

Audrey placed her guitar down. She felt bad for Bruce, yet she wanted their relationship to end. But there's so many bad things to happen. Audrey has brought up the idea of them breaking up, and he threatened to hurt her, her dads, or in his more vulnerable states, threatened to kill himself if she broke up with him.

Audrey felt trapped. She didn't want to stay with him, but she didn't want him to kill himself, or hurt her or her dads.

Audrey looked at her bruises again. She could remember when she got each one and what he was mad at her for.

Every week it was a knew issue. She was too fat, too ugly, too short, not good enough, she'll never get anywhere in life. Audrey had been affected by his hurtful words. She went on to develop anorexia, and had become somewhat of a doormat to people because Bruce told her that she should listen and not talk as much.

"Audrey?" Audrey jumped as she heard her dad calling her. "Audrey are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah I'm okay." Audrey called back in a hoarse voice.

"Audrey, you don't sound okay." Ian called back. "Can we come in?"

"No I'm fine." Audrey responded, a little too quickly.

"Audrey you don't sound fine. What's wrong? Could you let us come in?"

"No. I'm fine, I swear!"

"Audrina Iris Hecox-Padilla, let us in now."

Audrey sighed in defeat, and opened the door to her room slowly. Both of her dads were standing in her doorway.

"Hey daddy..." She whispered. "Papa..."

"What the hell is this?" Anthony demanded, gesturing to Audrey's bruised arms.

"Who did this to you?" Ian questioned her.

"Bruce..." Audrey whispered.

"I knew it." Anthony growled. "If that little shit thinks he can get away with this, he's dead wrong!"

"No daddy, please don't hurt him!" Audrey cried. "He already has so many problems, please he doesn't need anymore!"

"He can't treat you like this!" Anthony told her. "You don't deserve to be abused and he doesn't deserve someone as good as you!"

"But-"

"He's right sweetheart." Ian said softly. "We need to do something about this."

"But he's so troubled." Audrey sobbed. "His father left him, his mom abuses him, he does drugs-"

"Does drugs?! That's it! We need to do something now!" Anthony yelled.

"No! He said if anyone found out, he'd hurt me or you or himself."

"Sweetie, this needs to end." Ian said to his daughter. "There's not much we can do about his parents, but we could get him help, but I don't think you two should be together anymore."

"What do I tell him?" Audrey wondered.

"Call him." Ian told her. "Tell him you can't stay with him, and that you want to get him help."

"O-Okay." Audrey pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, ad sat down on the couch. Anthony sat on one side of her, holding her hand, and Ian sat on the other side, rubbing her back gently.

Audrey typed in Bruce's cell number with shaking hands. She held the phone up to her ear, and waited for Bruce to pick up.

"Hello?" Bruce said when he picked up.

"H-Hey Bruce." Audrey sputtered.

"Audrina, you were supposed to call me earlier." Bruce said coldly. "You know how I feel when you don't call."

"Bruce we need to talk."

"About what? You better not be wasting my time."

Audrey swallowed hard at his harsh tone of voice. "Bruce, we need to break up."

There was a moment of silence from the other line. "What did I tell you about trying to dump me?" Bruce snarled.

"We can't keep doing this." Audrey told him. She felt her spirits begin to lift. "I'm sorry. You need help, and I'm going to get you help, but I can't be your girlfriend anymore."

"Audrey, don't do this." Bruce pleaded. "I need you, please. Don't break up with me."

Audrey breathed heavily. He was manipulating her. He had to be. "No Bruce. I'm sorry. We're through." Audrey hung up without letting him speak any further.

Audrey tossed her phone onto her lap. She sighed, and a smile lit up on her face. She felt like a weight had lifted off of her shoulders.

"You did good sweetie." Anthony told her.

"We won't let him hurt anyone." Ian informed her. "Not you, not us, and not anyone."

"Thanks dads." Audrey smiled. After two years, it was finally over.

Bruce was finally out of her life.

* * *

Bruce's phone dropped from his hands. Audrey had dumped him. This shouldn't have happened.

He needed Audrey. And she needed him. She was all he had. His mother abused him, his father left him, his brother hated him. Now Audrey hates him.

He didn't want to hit her. He just couldn't find a better way to express his care for her. Now he lost her completely.

Bruce stood from his bed, and took his bottle of anti-depressants, and tossed them into the trash. There wasn't any way to help with his depression now.

Bruce reached under his bed and pulled out a box. Inside it was a revolver that he took from his father before he left.

Bruce loaded up the gun with a single bullet, and held it to his temple.

 _Goodbye forever... Audrina._

That was the last thing he thought before he pulled the trigger and the single bullet ended his life.

* * *

 **A/N: This is my submission for Walking on Fire's contest. As many heavy and dark themes this was going to have, it was going to have more. I was planning to have some sort of implication of sexual assault, and the original idea was that Bruce instead of being depressed, he was going to be a sociopath and was going to use the gun to either injure Anthony and Ian, or shoot up their school... I know, I'm messed up. But I decided to water it down a bit. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless.**


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